>> this is "the journal." >> welcome. >> the headlines at this hour. the threat of civil war in libya as rebels and government troops fight for control. >> oil prices spiked at 2.5 year highs. >> the bayer munich coast -- coach will stay on until the end of the season. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> and e.u. fact-finding mission

has arrived in libya to assess the situation as battles raged between gaddafi and rebel forces. most of the fighting is concentrated along the mediterranean coast. with the duck the continuing to bomb rebel positions from the air, opposition leaders have appealed to the west to set up a no-fly zone. more on that in a moment. first, the situation on the ground. >> rebels on the road on monday. they have set up anti-aircraft batteries to defend against attacks by warplanes. they say they are determined to hold the town. the battle for control of libya is concentrated along the coast. in the east, the fund appears centered around [unintelligible] in the west, the main focus is the city of zawiyah.

it's got its heaviest fighting so far on sunday. the rebels successfully fought off a counter-offensive by the regime. leader gaddafi appears unmoved by e.u. threats. >> we had a good relationship, and europe depends on libya for peace in the mediterranean and to block illegal immigration. europe depends on libya to stop the millions and millions of blacks who could come to the mediterranean to cross to france and italy. libya plays a role in security in the mediterranean. stability in libya mean stability in the mediterranean. >> and e.u. fact-finding team has arrived to address humanitarian conditions on the ground. >> a report to the high commissioner and vice president tonight. so far, we do not have any information. >> it is not clear whether the team will travel to areas where the fighting has been fiercest.

for now, they are focusing on talks in tripoli. >> our correspondent is in benghazi. both sides are claiming they have the upper hand. what is your impression from where you are? >> the situation is still extremely poor. both sides appear to be giving in -- digging in, intrench of their positions. around tripoli, gaddafi forces have overtaken tawi -- zxawiha -- zawiyah. there is also been fighting in misurata. rebel forces moved as far as sirte, gaddafi's hometown, but there were under equipped. early this morning, the duffy

forces responded with full force, driving those rebels all the way back to the oil port. >> would you say the country is on the brink of civil war? >> certainly right now you can call it what you want, but there are two sides. too heavily armed sides. this is a country very much divided. neither side wants to back down. >> we keep hearing reports that the rebels are asking for military assistance from the international community. is that true? if so, what form with that assistance takebacks >> the opposition leadership has been clear they do not want any direct intervention on the ground, but there is a lot of talk about a no-fly zone. the air force is khaddafi's most serious threat to the rebel forces. some rebels are also asking for direct air strikes against those forces to even out the score a bit. any sort of military

intervention is a divisive subject. it is also divisive in the international community. it could take weeks for a decision to be reached. >> after pressure from senate republicans, the white house is considering the option of harming the libyan rebels, but feel it would be premature to do so. president obama pointed out that military action is only one option and further moves would be decided in concert with nato and the united nations. >> we have nato as we speak consulting in brussels and around the wide range of potential options, including potential military options in response to the violence that continues to take place inside libya. >> the aid coming in from the west is limited to humanitarian assistance for the refugees, --

the refugees. there are thousands of foreign workers in the country, some from as far away as bangladesh. >> many of the refugees arriving in this border town are exhausted. most of them -- then on the move four days, traveling through areas where fighting is raging. >> near tripoli, there was a lot of shooting. we had to keep fighting. -- hiding. >> i cannot talk about what is happening. that would endanger my friends. it is perfectly clear what is going on. >> 3000 people have been arriving at camp every day. many are foreign workers from bangladesh.the government has mo efforts to arrange transport for them. the foreign minister urged them to hold out in libya. >> we bangladeshis' just want to go home, but we do not have any

money. there is nothing we can do. there is nothing for us. >> the u.n. refugee agency is working on a solution that does not rely on the cooperation of the government. >> in the next day or so, they will start the chartering flights in order to assist the bangladeshis to go back to their country. >> it could take up to five days. >> meanwhile in afghanistan, u.s. secretary of defense robert gates has apologized to president hamid karzai for the accidental deaths of children last week, six days after u.s. helicopter crews killed nine boys mistaken for taliban fighters. it's also discussed the future of the u.s. military in afghanistan, expected to be withdrawn by the end of 2014. a small contingent will remain to help train afghan security

forces. the unrest going on in africa and the middle east is causing chaos with oil prices. >> causing major worries about economic growth. oil prices in london and new york spiking higher on monday on concerns over wider supply disruptions in the middle east and north africa. the recent sharp spike in prices and worries over what may come has prompted the united states to continue tapping its emergency oil reserves. >> as oil prices soar, industrial countries around the world are deciding whether they should tap into their reserves. the u.s. consumes more than 19 million barrels of oil every day, more than any other country. washington is keeping a close eye on the developments in the arab world. investors are concerned the unrest will cause major disruptions to oil supplies, and the effect has been dramatic. in january, a barrel of brent crude cost under $100.

with the uprisings, oil prices have shot up, reaching just over $117 in trading today. industry experts are concerned soaring oil prices could destabilize the fragile global economic recovery. >> gold prices are also on the rise and on monday touched a new record high. precious metal is a favorite safe-haven investment during times of crisis. in monday trading, april gold futures surged to hit $1,495.70 an ounce, marking an all-time high in non inflation adjusted terms. other factors pushing up the price include low interest rates, inflationary pressures, and worries over the eurozone debt crisis. the soaring gold and predominantly oil prices combined with a strengthening euro. that had investors worried about

a negative impact on corporate earnings and the economy as a whole monday. our correspondent sent us this summary from frankfurt. >> a safe haven is what investors were looking for, not only due to news from the middle east and libya. a safe haven investors are looking for because of speculation inflation might be rising again. this is why investors are going for everything real. the want to put money into things they can see and hold in their hand, things that will not lose a lot of their value in times of inflation. the stock market this monday it was moved by a lot of mergers and acquisitions news. for example, there was news that daimler-benz rolls-royce are negotiating a joint takeover of a german engineering company, pushing its stock price by more than 20%. >> we can stay for a closer look at monday's numbers. germany's dax gave up 0.25%.

the zero stocks -- eurostoxx 50 slid. the dow trading at 12,086 points. the euro trading at a value of $1.3967. airbus says as asia's fast- moving economic growth fuels demand for air travel, it expects airlines in asia to take delivery of nearly 9000 aircraft in the next 20 years, representing 1/3 of global growth. airbus expects demand from china to make up the lion's share. airbus will be delivering its first a-380 to china airlines later this year. increasing traffic is causing china to rethink its aviation policy.

>> aircraft's can spend a long time waiting to depart chinese airports. delays have become routine. traffic volumes are growing so fast that infrastructure can barely keep pace. 2010 passenger figures were 16% up on 2009, squeezing facilities. beijing is the second busiest in the world and has the world's worst record for delays. chinese aviation authorities are aware of the problem and are responding with an extensive program of construction projects over the coming years. >> china is preparing to build about 56 new airports, relocate over for the existing airports, and renovate and expand more than 90 airports. it involves a total 231 projects with an investment of 50 billion year rose. >> the money is urgently needed.

the international civil aviation authority says chinese passenger figures will double in five years. >> that is your business update. >> the trials of former french president jacques chirac on allegations of corruption opened monday. chirac is not scheduled to appear until tuesday, but will be the first president in postwar french history to appear before a criminal court. he faces charges related to his time as mayor of paris. chirac denies any wrongdoing. >> he refused to comment on the trial on monday. the trial has done little to dent the popularity of chirac. many french people still and meyer his folksy style, which contrasts sharply with president sarkozy. but critics insist the misappropriation of public funds is not a petty offense. attorneys for a taxpayers'

association contend the investigation was [unintelligible] >> is france a country that honors the rule of law or not? this is an opportunity for the judicial system to be in power. with respect to what is happening in the world, french justice can no longer play second fiddle to the executive office. >> the allegations concern chirac's time as mayor of paris. he is accused of putting almost 500 workers on the city payroll in the 1990's. many never spent a day on the office -- at the office to receive salaries, and some were members of his pay -- his election team. he struck a deal with the city of paris to repay 2.2 million euros. the city dropped charges against him and subsequently. he is expected to make his first court appearance on tuesday. even if found guilty, he might only be fined or received a suspended sentence.

marie antoinette was also tried in this courtroom, but she feared much worse and was sentenced to the guillotine. >> the defendant gunde -- bundesliga champions have said the coach will stay until the end of the season. there was speculation he might be fired immediately. >> he led bayern to the league title last season and his contract was extended through 2012. but he is now set to depart at the end of the current campaign. >> the reason for the termination of the contract was made evident this morning during our conversation. we have fundamentally differing opinions about the strategic direction of the club. >> the chairman did not

elaborate on the differences, but explained why the change would not be made immediately. >> even know we will go separate ways in a few months, we do agree that we have to work together in this difficult situation. we can at least achieved our minimum goals -- achieve our minimum goals. >> the biggest goal in the moment is to qualify for the champions league with at least a third-place finish. bayern are currently fifth in the standings. they have not said who will take over when the coach leaves. >> carnival season is reaching its climax around the world. millions of people attended parades like this one in duesseldorf, depicting scenes that poke fun at current political and cultural events. another is throwing candy at people lining the street. in cologne, 300 tons of candy

rained down on partygoers. i want candy. we need more candy.

>> la comeback. millions of carnival fans and fun lovers have been out at rose monday parades. sunny skies part of the crowd to cheer on the band and answers. the procession featured floats that lampooned big news stories. cologne's carnival has a long history of poking fun at authority figures. once, it was bishops and princes. today, it is politicians in berlin. but the festival is about music, costumes, and of course parades'. here is our report, looking at the fun and color in germany's biggest carnival.

>> cologne and carnival. it is difficult to imagine one without the other. with the sun out, the silliest of silly season is is well and truly under way in the shadow of cologne's world-famous cathedral. with the weather this good, practically all of cologne and thousands of visitors have the feeling that spring is about to be sprung. >> we run landers -- rhinelanders are nuts about nature. this is the best season of the year except christmas. that is something we insist on. >> great people. lovely atmosphere. what more do you want? >> drinking beer and eating candy.

>> the girls are really friendly. you have to like that. >> the best thing about carnival is the kissing. we are ready. just come here. >> the suites and flowers are part of carnival in cologne. it is not just the younger revelers who are indulging today. not everyone is smiling. some are out of reach of the showers of sugary candy. they are foolish for being at the back. a colorful carnival costume is practically compulsory. the more creative, the better. >> this is my robot for carnival. i spent two months putting him together with bits of scrap

metal. >> the little ones have the biggest eyes when carnival gets going, and no one is too small for a big carnival costume. >> how old are you? >> four. >> do you know how long the route is? can you walk all the way? >> that is no surprise. revellers in cologne have to put nearly 6 kilometers behind them. it is germany's oldest carnival procession. >> there is a lot of good spirited and healthy competition between the different cities in the regions in germany as to who

has the liveliest carnival parties, which city is home to the catchiest carnival music, and what area has best held onto ancient traditions. as we saw in that last report, after cologne, some of the biggest parties are to be found in [unintelligible] the high point is the rose monday parade, but it is preceded by countless costume balls beloved by old and young. >> as you know, they fly solo. >> the children's costume ball is getting underway at the hall. it is 11:00 a.m. and it is a point to be a long day. all the children are dressed up. >> i am an indian. >> i am a magician. >> i am in musketeer. >> at noon, highpoint of the day. kids raced through the halls.

throwing confetti is an important skill for the festival. meanwhile, behind the scenes, ballet dancers from the carnival association are warming up. here they come. at 3:00 p.m., the event is over, for the little ones at least. two hours later and the decorations have been changed. the formal carnival review starts at 7:00 p.m. sharp. the last remnants from the children's party are being removed. the head chef and his staff are getting ready for the evening. 55 waiters and waitresses, 2400 guests. that demands almost military organizations.

500 liters of bubbly have to be cool. the bosses are checking the hall one last time. >> there were some wineglasses missing back there somewhere. >> but guests do not only drink alcohol. >> the most popular drink is mineral water. they drink that a lot. >> who would have thought it? behind the stage, the methods of -- the ministers of the carnival committee are going over the program one last time. the president of the carnival association heads off to metal -- medal up. >> in principle, we are a satire of a state ministry. because back to the days when people wanted to make fun of authority figures, with medals, pomp, and circumstance.

the people always have a distrust of military figures. >> that are especially proud of this rebellious tradition. it distinguishes celebrations here from the carnival competition in cologne. the ballerina's from this morning's children's party are going back on stage, now decked out as aliens. off they go. 11 minutes past 7:00 and the aliens open the proceedings. [star trek theme] then, the committee marches in. being a part of this committee is a high honor for anyone in the town. one longstanding tradition at the event is the speeches at the review, where a bit of fun is poked at political leaders of the day. >> we used to make fun of helmut kohl.

now it is angela merkle. the jokes are pretty much the same. >> the doorbell rings. i opened up. the reaper grimm has come to suck. -- to sup. i boldly ask, who are you, pray. i'm father death, i hear him say. on my life, i think you want to see my wife. >> it goes down a storm. the crowd loves this kind of thing. at midnight, the dancers come out with their rock and roll show. the carnival festivities have been underway for 13 hours now, and the night still has a long way to go. >> conable in germany has been our in-depth. thanks for watching. stay with us if you can.

>>this week on world business... >>destination inflation, china's need to control the country's breakneck growth >>commodity prices have gone up across the board. we've seen chicken prices gone up probably some 16percent year on year we look at vietnam's dramatic turnaround to become a vibrant modern economy. >>i think the pace of growth in vietnam is quite good, with almost 7.2 percent of gdp growth for over two decades continuously >>and with fears extremism could flourish in the aftermath of the arab uprising, a call for a more moderate world. >>democracy must be accompanied by values and one

of the most important values is to reject of violence. >>hello and welcome. i'm raya abirached and this is world business, your weekly insight into the global business trends shaping our lives. china's central government is desperate to avoid inflation asit seeks to rein-in growth and rebalance the economy. the trouble is, to succeed; it needs the regions on board. and away from the capital, there's still an obsession with huge projects and boosting gdp. >>reporter: pengshui clearly isn't at the forefront of china's economic boom. but like thousands of other backwaters

across the country, it has big plans for the next five years as it seeks to boost incomes by atleast 14 percent annually. the most meaningful economic decisions are made far away from beijing, in places like here - pengshui - over 1500 km south west of the capital. few if any here are interested in cooling economic growth export-reliant economy from the global financial crisis. in turn, this opened the floodgates for huge levels of bank lending that saw the money supply grow more than 50 percentin two years. it went to companies that bid up the price of land, it bid up the price of natural resources around the world. when it did land in people's pockets, people put it into forms of tangible savings like real estate or even gold. and so what you've seen in china is actually asset inflation and not necessarily consumer inflation. but eventually, asset inflation is a tricky thing. >>reporter: it's tricky because it feels like a boom. that is until

inflation spread to payrolls and the generalbasket of consumer prices - notably food. even those with strong buying power, like this new york listed chain with over 100 outlets, saw prices soar in late 2010. >>rong: ome 16 percent year on year; rice, cooking oil - they've all gone up - pork, beef, almost everything. >>reporter: and, of course, property buyers are finding prices are still rising - defying measures like higher down payments and restrictions on multiple mortgages. as for the thousands of foreign companies operating in china, concerns are mixed - with much depending on which market they're selling to. >>ektander: some of these are targeting the fast growing chinese domestic consumer market. and even though we can see some declines now in consumer confidence index i think that their prospects, their concern

forthe future is less than those that are here now for the sourcing and production for exports to europe. >>reporter: the government's primary focus, however, is the economic health of this nation. so today's leadership wants to move away from an export and investment driven model to one powered by domestic consumption, with single digit gdp growth. this means allowing the rmb (pronounced reun-meen-bee) to appreciate; and also wean the economy of its addiction to cheap, ready available money. but this is easier said than done. >>chovanec: you're going to have a lot of people screaming for loosening again. and there's going to be a lot ofentrenched interests - property developers, local government officials who want to meet their gdp targets, who are going to be screaming to resume the lending. >>reporter: china's regions have already published their latest five year plans - and most have breakneck doubledigit gdp growth targets, fuelled by investment. hough local

policy makers in western china say inflation of up to five percent is beneficial. >>jie: it's good for the movement of capital, it's viability, it's good for attracting personnel, it's goodfor restructuring, for adjusting industries. >>reporter: different tiers of officialdom have different priorities. nment machinery, the leadership must perform a delicate balancing act with the regions where policy is often re-interpreted, or sometimes phased-in, to fit with local needs. the government's mettle will be tested. >>unrest in the arab world has spread from tunisia to egypt and libya, even oman. the future of the region is uncertain, the hope is that true democracy will take root, but there is real fear

extremist groups will now flourish. last week a group of moderate muslim leaders from turkey to indonesia met in istanbul calling for the rejection of both religious and political extremism. >>reporter: istanbul: the bridge between europe and asia, east and west. an ideal setting for a conference focusing on the need for more just societies - particularly in the middle east and north africa. the discussions centered on the global movement for justice, peace and dignity but also addressed fears of extremism taking root in the vacuum created by the fall of authoritarian governments. panellists examined the root causes of the revolutions sweeping the muslim world. >>muzaffar: we have had ruling elites that neglected the people, who do not care for the ordinary human being...because we have had endemic corruption.

>>reporter: delegates looked at both the political and economic aspects of the region's future prospects, with social and economic justice closely intertwined. >>abdulla-janahi: if you look at egypt in the past 6 years we had 50, nearly 45, 60 billion dollars of fdi coming in -how much of that trickled down? it was very limited. how much stayed between the 200 to 400 families at the top - they took it all in. and that's been the problem. >>reporter: the uncertainty now is over what type of society will emerge. >>given the fear of militant and extremist islamization... this is of particular concern to the west which not only tolerated but also endorsed the region's authoritarian regimes to maintain regionalstability in the past. >>falk: reconciliation and accommodation work better than confrontation and hard power approach. i think theunited states' response after 9/11 has been disastrous from this perspective inflaming

relations with islam rather than finding the path towards accommodation with moderate islam. >>pitsuwan: i have always insisted that the road to reconciliation between the west and islam probably would have to run through south east asia. and turkey ideologically is quite close to what we have experimented in south east asia. >>reporter: the malaysian prime minister, on an official visit to turkey, said his country, alongside turkey, could be a potential role model... with its differing religions, ethic groups - and a successful and growing economy. >>razak: we can offer the malaysian model if you like because it has worked, because we have been able to lead this transformation from a relatively poor nation. a nation whose economy was

based on agriculture. we have moved to an industrial or industrializing economy. >>reporter: malaysia is working to join the ranks of fully developed nations by the end of this decade. >>the malaysian model of moderation - and multicultural inclusion - was endorsed by turkey, which spoke of its own recent steps in opening up its society. >>babacan: we have more and more progressive democracy, more and more representative democracy... we have become a very open society. a country with more than 400 tv channels, with more than 1100 radio channels and free debate going on. >>reporter: all agreed that the path of moderation, in the domestic sphere, should be extended to international relations.

>>the prime minister of malaysia used the istanbul conference to repeat his call for a global movement of the moderates, first issued last september at the united nations general assembly >>falk: the moderate path i think represents the approach of the turkish and malaysian foreign policy to their international diplomacy which emphasizes cultural traditions rooted in islam but also emphasizes tolerance and respect for others. >>reporter: there were some concerns that the revolutions, particularly in egypt, might be hijacked by potentially extremist islamic movements. >>razak: democracy itself is not a panacea. democracy must be accompanied by values and one of the most important values is to reject violence. >>reporter: that said the overall mood was cautious support for the changes in the middle east.

>>muzaffar: the masses, the millions of muslims and christian and others living in the arab world who are saying: 'we think that we can bring about change through non violence, through peaceful measures' and that i think is very, very significant. >>still to come on world business... >>from a war torn country on the brink of starvation to stellar success, we look at the rise of vietnam >>this is a young and up and coming country. people here are very ambitious, very optomistic. >>us college football is staged on a truly staggering scale, but could the huge sums of money involved be damaging this amateur game? >>coaches have become rockstars in their own right but.. the demands that the fan base places on thecoach for success on the field has also been ratcheted up. >>super sized sport... and the rest in just a moment on world business...

>>25 years ago vietnam started reforms to move the country from a planned economy to a socialist oriented market economy. these reforms have transformed both the country and the lives of its people. in the first of a two part series we look at how vietnam has leapt forward. >>reporter: every morning for thousands of vietnamese, the day begins in the traditional way with a steaming bowl of pho, noodles in beef broth. >>the dish is served up in side streets and doorways for less than a dollar. but a new breed of young affluent vietnamese are willing to pay double that for more upmarket surroundings. >>trung: we gave the customers, people more options, more modern look and modern service, modern

lifestyle eating culture. but it's going to be replacing traditional way of eating pho, i think the traditionalway is beautiful, so they both survive the modern and traditional way. >>reporter: the firm is doing well, with 78 cafes across asia. its success is symbolic of the modern vietnam, with its rapidly expanding middle class, which has increased from 28% of the population a decade ago to 64% in the cities today. it's a change felt across the retail sector. >>hoang: the vietnamese between 20-30 years old now, they're just different from how i see when i was 20 and 30, they have no. it seems like they have no - they don't look far, they don't live in that mould

where, you know, our parents used you live where you have to save, save, save because you never know what's tomorrow, you never know what vietnam's going to become tomorrow, they seem to be much more free spirited >>reporter: it's a young country, 60% of the population are under 35. there's also a new generation of middle-class vietnamese, educated at universities in the west who have now returned home, bringing an international mind-set and capitalist dreams to this socialist-orientated market economy. >>people like henry nguyen, a harvard graduate, who heads a venture capitalist company in ho chi minh city. >>nguyen: i guess i'll co-opt a phrase from the clinton campaign, it's the demographic stupid, you know, like it's this is a young up and coming country, people here are very ambitious, very optimistic, very hard working and because of that you basically have a country really that is literally on the way up,it's growing up right before our eyes, i don't

consider myself that old of a person and 70% of the population is younger than i am, and that makes me kind of a grey hair here somewhat prematurely... >>reporter: take this internet technology company. >>the average age here is 28; they're designers, programmers, and marketing managers... >>the ceo was a former champion gamer, who successfully bet on vietnam's young workforce & hungry consumer habits. >>minh: we've seen things happening in the last five years and we say, like, you know, with internet coming in, with technology being introduced to people we could become the brain of the world, i mean competing with the best brand out there >>reporter: the country aims to have achieved fully developed status by 2020, an ambitious goal, but one that looks achievable. the main exports may still be basic products like textiles, crude oil, rice and coffee, but they provide a strong economic backbone to a country still expanding rapidly.

>>chi lan: i think the pace of growth in vietnam is quite good, with almost 7.2 percent of gdp growth for over two decades continuously. even during the crises in the world and in the region vietnam could still maintain some positive growth, and i think that is quite good. but of course we want to see the country develop faster in future. >>reporter: that now seems to be happening, especially in the major cities like hanoi, ho chi minh & danang where growth can be seen everywhere. >>one example is the bitexco financial tower. >>it is 262 metres high with vietnam's first helipad at the 52nd floor...defying gravity on the sideof the building. >>this us$270 million investment was constructed entirely with vietnamese money and ambition, the vision of self-made businessman, mr vu quang hoi. >>hoi: prior to this construction project, i felt a strong

desire that our generation has to do something significant to change our country for the better. i asked myself what should this symbol of power be? i decided it must be a sky-high building, which looks fantastic and can clearly demonstrate power >>reporter: power the country clearly has, but vietnam, despite its strengths lies in a fiercely competitive region. its proximity to china laos and cambodia is a handy strategic location, but its stellar growth must be compared to even brighter stars in asia. >>and while vietnam is one of asia's great success stories, the country still has several issues it needs to address to truly move forward and we will be looking at those next week. >>college football is massively popular in the us. it draws vast crowds to some of the country's biggest arenas. broadcast contracts are huge and the players treated like superstars. but as more and more money

flows into the game how is it affecting what is still a strictly amatuer sport? >>reporter: game night at tiger stadium, baton rouge...and 92000 fans have turned up to see louisiana state university take on southeastern conference rivals mississippi state.... >>alleva: our fans will get here on a thursday night and they'll party on friday night and they'll party on saturday... >>reporter: ...and go slightly crazy on saturday night. throw in a live tiger mascot, a bizarre mix of pageantry, colour and noise and you've got a pretty good representation of the south's long standing love affair with football... >>bloom: the entire region has put an emphasis on football for a long time. it's generational. >>reporter: in tuscaloosa...bryant denny stadium is home of the university of alabama. with 102000 seats, it's

the fifth largest stadium in america...but despite that, match tickets are as rare as hen's teeth. >>jong : every game this season is already sold out? >>walker: correct. only one game in the last 25 has not been sold out here. >>maddox: it's a passion. it goes beyond passion...it's a religion in tuscaloosa and it's something that i think has been a very positive effect on us. >>walker: there are more than 10000 people on a season ticket waiting list right now... >>reporter: meanwhile on a warm saturday morning in atlanta...before another sec game...hundreds of fans have come down to be part of espn's nomadic college gameday programme. last year espn signed a $2 and a quarter billion dollar contract to broadcast sec football for the next 15 years. >>magnus: ...they're the number one conference. you know, their fans are the most passionate, their teams are the most competitive. they've had the last 4 national champions in a row. >>reporter: add another $825m,15 year deal from cbs and you can see why

last year the sec, one of america's 11 major college conferences, could distribute $209m to its 12 member schools...double what it paid out in 2003. >>bloom: there is a large amount of revenue that's being produced but it does cost a lot amount of money to pay for these programmes >>alleva: well it really is a big business. our budget now is approaching $90m. >>reporter: it's the sort of budget that gets you a full sized indoor practice pitch...and a coach on a $3.8m annual salary.... >>magnus: coaches have become rockstars in their own right... but.. the demands that the fan base places on the coach for success on the field has also been ratcheted up. >>reporter: which might explain the police escort.... >>reporter: in tuscaloosa, the school's championship winning coaches are immortalized in bronze...although perhaps that should be gold, because each time this stadium fills up it brings around $17m into the city...

>>maddox: it is important to our community, it's important in creating jobs and it's important to us as an identity. >>reporter: the same applies in baton rouge. lsu draws about 150000 to its home games...a third of whom won't actually go to the match itself... >>jong: have you got tickets for the game today? >>i do but i'm not going >>jong: you're not going? >>i'm going to watch it right here. >>jong: why's that? sounds like madness. >>...because i can keep drinking right here >>jong: you're not allowed to drink inside? >>exactly. they don't sell beer or alcohol inside. >>jong : oh fantastic >>jong: you can have a beer out here as well. >>well you got beer, you got a bathroom, you got a tv, you got it all brother. >>reporter: although it must be said...the tailgaters are perhaps missing something... >>jong: tonight, at full capacity, this stadium is in fact louisiana's 5th biggest city. back in 1988, the crowd got so excited....so excited following a touchdown...jumping up and down...they actually causeda small earthquake which was registered on the university seismograph. it

might have happened again tonight... >>reporter: but wherever its being played...football's earning power, well in excess of any other college sport...is far reaching.... >>alleva: we give back to the university approximately $6m a year to help with their academic endeavours. >>walker: we annually give more than $1m sometimes much more than that every year to the school >>reporter: and...the conferences themselves some of which have their own tv networks have no qualms about chasing money... >>bloom: each conference including the sec will do what it can to protect its revenue base and make sure thatit's enhanced. >>reporter: each conference is keen to have successful, commercially attractive colleges on board...and recently, some schools have switched allegiances...but the sec hasn't changed its membership since 1991...happy enough with its colleges' strength.... >>reporter: lsu last won the national

title in 2007...but even though these players are performing at the highest level now...few will make the step up to the nfl... >>alleva: we have 100 football players and i would say that maybe 5 to 8 of those get a chance to play each year in the nfl. but they don't all make it. >>jong: very few of them will make it to the next step up to the pros. >>walker: very few. it's miniscule. miniscule. >>reporter: for some, leaving all the attention behind is hard to take...even harder if you've wasted a scholarship worth around $15000 a year.... >>shepherd: they drill us every day. i like to say that even though we see our older peers, we see the people that have come before us and we see some fail at that, you know...don't get their education and football is done...and then they're in the hole. >>dworaczyk: even if you go to play in the nfl, the games going to end eventually and you know, you'll be a 30 year old man which is relatively young obviously, you know, you have to have something else to do. >>reporter: so the adulation won't last forever, but while it's there...you couldn't really blame the players for soaking

it up...as for the fans...well, they're happy soaking up something altogether different...at what is an excellent party... >>jong: bit of music >>everything >>jong: good food? >>good food. >>jong: you can drink the alcoholic liquor >>yes, until you get to the stadium >>jong: how long are you going to hold onto your season tickets for? >>until i die >>reporter: and if you get the chance...you'd do well to experience a game yourself, because it will be, withouta doubt...one of the biggest, maddest sports event you're ever likely to see... >>that's it for this week's world business. thanks for watching. we'll see you again at the same time next week. of the best of europe.

venice seems to be every italy connoisseur's... prague has always been beautiful... germany... the irish civilization... the eiffel tower was built... hope you've enjoyed the magic of... south of chianti country is a region called the crete. it features clay hills, the topsoil washed away by ages of rain, and delicate lanes of cypress. the dramatic beauty of the countryside changes with the seasons, and the terrain is dotted by rustic yet noble farmhouses, many of which rent rooms to tourists. small farms are struggling to survive here as in america. all over europe, farms are renting rooms to travelers now harvesting their rural charm as well as produce to help make ends meet. here in italy, farmhouse b&bs are called "agriturismos."

we're staying in the 13th-century home and farm of sylvia gori, and she's happy to show us around. as her family has for centuries, sylvia lives in the manor house, and, after a look at the living room, it's clear: the rural nobility of italy survives. [ speaking italian ] this is a fireplace where you can still cook. do they still use this? can i pull it out? you can use it. this for polenta. it's for to have hot water all the time. upstairs is the vast billiards room. for generations, evenings ended here. musty portraits are reminders of the family's long and noble lineage. the farm is strictly organic. these pigs are a rare breed, brought back from the edge of extinction

by people who care about traditional agriculture. and gazing at these huggable sheep, you can almost taste the pecorino cheese. and cheese is an important part of this farm's economy. walls are stacked with rounds of pecorino, made from the unpasturized, and therefore tastier, milk of the farm's sheep. traditional organic methods are labor intensive, but connoisseurs of good living here know it's well worth the trouble and expense. the farm also produces top-grade prosciutto. the hams are not cooked but cured in salt. after hanging in a room for several weeks, each one is given a spicy coat of pepper. the slow curing process -- here they're checking the progress with a horse-bone needle -- takes over a year.

the tradition of making these foods is as timeless as the tuscan countryside. [ indistinct conversations ] sylvia, happy to share the fruits of her labor, invites us for dinner. while this prosciutto and pecorino cheese is sold all over italy with the family's label, it's particularly tasty when eaten right here. it's a classic tuscan table: simplicity, a sense of harmony, and no hurry enjoyed with a great glass of chianti.